Creating a MY HERO Web Page
by Marc Stern , SJH

Subject Area:    English/Language Arts, Social Science, Technology/Media Literacy

Grade Level:    5-8, 9-12

Overview/Purpose:

Students will have the opportunity to transfer their summer reading (T.A. Barron’s A Hero’s Trail) into a personally created Web page to be published and shared with others around the world. As this Web page will fulfill their technology requirement for the first quarter, they will continually modify and enhance their project throughout the quarter.

Objectives:

Set-Up

1. Go to the MYHERO.com homepage.

2. On the left navbar, click on the Create link.

3. Read each of the bulleted points, follow the instructions, and watch Slater’s Create tutorial video, "How to Create a MY HERO Story."

4. When you are finished, click “For new users, register here."

5. (a) Fill in the required fields using the school email address as the email address.

(b) Choose a “username” and “password" and type them in the appropriate fields.

6. At this point, you are ready to begin working on your project. You should decide if you would like to continue working with the hero you chose for your summer reading document, or if you would like to choose another example of a hero with whom you have more of an interest.

Note: If you do not have sufficient background information, you may find difficulty using the hero you chose for your summer reading.

7. For the “Hero Section,” use the type of hero (“hero on the spot," “survivor hero,” “hero within” or “hero to others near and far”) identified in The Hero’s Trail by T.A. Barron. Put your response in the “Other” section.

MY HERO Website Writing Requirements: Before you begin working on your writing, preview at least five other examples. Pay special attention to how the writer uses an introduction and conclusion in their writing. Click on “Directory” for examples of hero stories.

Do all of your writing in Microsoft Word and then copy and paste it into the Create template.

Resources/Materials:

Activities and Procedures:

1. Watch the MY HERO Flash Introduction.

2. Write a 5 paragraph essay.

Paragraph One: This paragraph should be a short introduction to your writing. Look at the following introductions in these examples:

Christopher Reeve
Rosa Parks
Judy Blume
Paloma Herrera

Note: You may want to begin your writing by reflecting on some of the heroic qualities (courage, faith, perseverance, hope, humor, adaptability, and/or moral direction) shown by your hero.

Paragraphs Two and Three: In these paragraphs, you will be discussing your hero in detail. Summarize your hero’s story giving specific details:

Who is your hero?
Where does your hero live?
When did your hero live (if applicable)?
How did this hero make a difference?
Give any other information you feel necessary to give the reader enough information to understand who this person is and what exactly this person did to be considered a hero. Be sure not to plagiarize. Summarize in your own words.

Paragraph Four: This is where you will relate your hero to T.A. Barron’s book, A Hero’s Trail. Discuss the following: the type of hero (“hero on the spot,” “survivor hero,” “hero within” or “hero to others near and far”) and how your hero fits this definition with specific examples.

Paragraph Five: In this paragraph you will wrap things up. Oftentimes, good writers will refer back to their introduction when creating a conclusion. This way, their writing comes full circle. Take a look at some good examples in the “Directory” if you are having trouble.

3. Add finishing touches:

(a) Add at least one image related to your hero.
(b) Add your credits.
(c) Add at least one link related to your hero.
(d) Add your bibliography.

Assessment:

Teacher Notes: This lesson ties in with T.A. Barron’s A Hero’s Trail, which is appropriate for students at the middle and junior high levels.

Students were given approximately one week of class time to work on their Web page. The final Web page was due at the end of the quarter.